First, the caveats to that statement: I believe in a spiritual life connecting us to the nature we are part of, not the ‘evil world’ we are ‘above’. And even organized religion wouldn’t infuriate me if it didn’t make otherwise normal, intelligent people do such mean, stupid, shitty things. But it does, doesn’t it? So….

I’d really like it if all the uber-Biblical sorts would stop cherry picking their Holy Bible and look at what it REALLY advocates as “family values” — come on, people, the Iron Age was just NOT that good a place to be anything except the guy with the biggest sword, ok? Since those alleged values do guide what modern day churches tell people (especially female people) to put up with, does it really make sense?

And I did mention intelligent folks, didn’t I? Well, I been meaning to ask those of you who in all other aspects of life seem to have a sufficiency of brain cells in functional array, how DO you manage the crazy making anti-intellectual stuff in religions?

I have to say, the 21st century has been something of a disappointment for me thus far — still trapped in traffic with no flying car ala George Jetson, damn it. And no robotic Rosie taking care of the house, either. But this made me smile; basically a long reasonably articulate piece of work that gives me hope for this century because it could work out that the louder the Fundamentalists scream, the more they make a largely silent religious majority secretly go “What the unholy hell??” before walking away entirely from the frothing holy rollers.

If that last piece had a lack, it was too little discussion of how religion adversely affects female lives –(Gee, Dawkins has been accused of being gender-dumb, eh?) because I think WOMEN becoming disenchanted with being told they are “vessels of sin and temptation” likely has more to do with the secularization of America than people being fed up with hateful homophobes. Why should wives put up with husbands acting like it is a re-run of Desi Arnez shouting at Lucy because that’s “what men do”? Why should mothers go on rearing sons to act as if their own mothers, not to mention future wives, are inferior beings?

They keep on selling “pie in the sky” while life here resembles their hell for too many female folks living here and now. Let me tell you, I don’t know everything; but I’m pretty sure that if that “pie” exists at all, it is made of shaving cream and will be in your face after your life has been wasted obeying rules made by petty tyrants with a control issue! Live here, live now; do right in THIS world right now. (If there is another world/life? It will still stand you in good stead!)

So, yes, it appears that women need a fortress to keep themselves safe from people with ethics guided by Iron Age precepts of faith and goodness. Men, on the other hand, are fighting the “war” over their need to sit spread-eagled because apparently, their balls are just that big. Odd, I don’t recall anyone telling them to cross their legs and I’ve seen literally hundreds of men sit without knees wide enough apart to deliver a baby — notably at sporting events, where seats are even more close than the average public bus or subway. Wow, guys, your poor little ball-sacks might feel crowded. Meanwhile, women can be forced to have children, forced to have sex, forced to be ashamed ….but hey, we can cross our legs, right? Especially since that is sarcastically the only approved method of birth control some of the Iron Age sorts advocate. Gee, perspective is everything, isn’t it.

2 thoughts on “Happy New Year, And Yes, That’s Me In The Corner…”

I have to say, the 21st century has been something of a disappointment for me thus far — still trapped in traffic with no flying car ala George Jetson, damn it. And no robotic Rosie taking care of the house, either.

“There is nothing moral, ethical or Constitutional about organized religion. Once it gets beyond
individual spirituality or a small circle of like-minded friends, religion has the same effect on the body of humanity as cancer does on the body of the individual.”

Herland

The name of this blog, and my Dreamwidth blog, Herlander Refugee, is taken from a 1915 feminist novel "Herland". It makes my heart sing that modern women are experimenting with creation of a new "Herland"!
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